Braves handle Bulldogs

Tuesday

Oct 16, 2012 at 10:07 AMOct 16, 2012 at 10:08 AM

McPherson College falls to 3-3 with 38-14 loss to Ottawa

Staff Reports

From Staff Reports

OTTAWA — The sparkling individual numbers for McPherson College’s Bulldogs somehow did not translate into a victory over Ottawa Saturday night in a key KCAC football showdown.The Bulldogs ran 81 plays to the Braves’ 65. They had the perfect balance with 279 yards passing and 213 rushing for 492 total yards. They held Ottawa to 363 yards.Yet they lost. Lost bad. 38-14.The Bulldogs were disarmed by turnovers, killer penalties and an allergic reaction when they got close to the end zone. They turned it over four times -- one of them a fumble returned for a touchdown — and came up empty inside the 20 during key moments in the first half, in which they trailed 21-0. The critical loss knocked Mac out of a five-way tie for first place in the KCAC into fourth, as they are 3-2, the same as Friends and Southwestern. The Bulldogs now need a lot of help if they want a share of the title, as Kansas Wesleyan, Tabor and Friends share the lead at 4-1, and Mac only has Kansas Wesleyan among those left to play, since the Tabor game has been canceled because of the Brandon Brown tragedy.Mac coach Pete Sterbick, obviously, was disappointed with the loss.“The final score isn’t an indication of the closeness of the teams,” Sterbick said. “We just didn’t make plays. We’ve got to protect the ball. They’re good enough that we don’t have to help them.”The sign of things to come occurred early in the first quarter when the Bulldogs had a chip-shot field goal blocked. They also failed to put any points up on another occasion inside the 20 in the half, but the killer was a 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown by OU’s Donald Anderson, which pushed the lead to 21-0.Mac’s Jake Snodgrass directed two fourth-quarter scoring drives, and his numbers were passable, rushing for 92 yards on 20 carries and completing 23 of 44 passes for 279 yards. But he threw three picks and was sacked three times.Mac’s Havelock Pomele ran for 98 yards, 77 of those coming on one play. Julius Record had 11 catches for 92 yards and a score, while Paul Rotering had 111 yards on five catches and the other touchdown.Mac, 3-3 overall, now takes another break as it doesn’t play again until Oct. 27 when it hosts Saint Mary. STATISTICSMac Listed FirstFirst Downs — 26, 18. Rushes-Yards — 37-242; 40-182. Passing —23-44-3-279; 18-25-0-229. Punts-Avg. — 5-35.6; 7-40.4. Fumbles-Lost — 1-1; 0-0. Penalties-Yards — 10-95, 10-81.INDIVIDUAL LEADERSRushingMac — Pomele 10-98, Snodgrass 20-92, Jones 6-26, Tabb 1-(-3).Ottawa — Gimzo 16-63, Hayes 16-53, Dydell 5-19, Johnson 2-0, Team 1-(-1).PassingMac — Snodgrass 23-44-3-279.Ottawa — Gimzo 18-25-0-229.ReceivingMac — Record 11-92, Rotering 5-111, Patton 2-32, Ramos 1-34, Robinson 1-7, Thibodeaux 1-5.Ottawa — Hilliger 10-139, Adamson 4-34, Hayes 2-33, Hernandez 1-12, Wilkerson 1-11.